Criminal barristers in England and Wales agreed to halt their lengthy strike after the government provided a new compensation package.
57% of barristers voted in a poll to accept a 15% salary increase, according to the Criminal Bar Association (CBA).
The judgment means that on Tuesday, crown courts will resume hearing cases as usual.
Hundreds of trials have been postponed as a result of the action. It is unclear how rapidly the backlog can be eliminated.
The new Justice Secretary, Brandon Lewis, presented the barristers with a package of measures that went well beyond what his predecessor, Dominic Raab, had proposed.
The agreement included an immediate 15% increase in prices for government-funded defense work – a recommendation given by an independent body to ministers nearly a year ago. In addition, it was promised that this would apply to the extraordinary national backlog of 60,000 cases.
Mr. Lewis has given additional compensation for a variety of court preparation tasks for which barristers said they were not being compensated adequately.
Barristers, who initially wanted a 25% wage increase, argued that the criminal justice system was collapsing owing to a chronic shortage of finance and that ministers needed to invest significantly more money to reduce the record trial delays.
Funding squeeze
The strikes began in June after years of accusations from criminal barristers that the system of legal aid, which accounts for the majority of their salary, had been “gutted,” resulting in a 35% reduction in their revenue over the past decade.
The industrial action escalated in September when the CBA began an indefinite, continuous strike.
The chair of the CBA, Kirsty Brimelow, stated that barristers hoped for a new partnership with the government and that ministers’ treatment of the profession “would not be shabby in the future.”
“This proposal from the administration is long overdue. Its adoption by barristers is contingent upon its implementation; if not, the CBA will conduct another vote to lift the suspension of action “Ms. Brimelow issued a warning.
This week’s statistics are expected to reveal a little reduction in the backlogs, which has resulted in some trials taking more than two years to be heard.
Mr. Lewis said: “Since beginning this position five weeks ago, my first objective has been to terminate the barristers’ strike and decrease delays for victims, so I am pleased that they have agreed to return to work.
“This breakthrough is the consequence of resuming what I hope will be a positive collaboration as we work to reduce the backlog and expedite the delivery of justice to victims.”
Diana Fawcett, chief executive officer of the nonprofit organization Victim Support, stated that it was good news for victims, but that more needed to be done to decrease waiting times.
“It’s important to remember that these strikes and the pandemic are only part of the issue when it comes to the enormous backlogs in our courts,” she said.
Long court delays have been a problem for nearly a decade, and they’re excruciating for victims.
The father of a sexual assault victim whose case has been pending for four years was pleased with the election outcome.
James – not his real name – believes that the lawsuit, which has been delayed until November’s end, will finally proceed. However, he thinks that the court’s backlog is now so terrible that the trial may be delayed once more.
According to him, the lengthy delay has had a devastating effect on his son’s mental health.
James said: “My son recently said to me, “I have no trust in any of this.” They offer us a date and then destroy it at every turn.
